One of Hollywood's most dazzling leading actresses, Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966, in the oil boomtown of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Hayek has freely admitted that she and her brother, Sami, were spoiled rotten by her well-to-do businessman father, Sami Hayek Dominguez, and her opera-singing mother, Diana Jiménez Medina. Her father is of Lebanese descent and her mother is of Mexican/Spanish ancestry. After having seen _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory .
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1996, 2003 and 2008.
Is dyslexic and has combined type ADHD.
Was ranked 8th of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan.
Frequently collaborates with Antonio Banderas and Robert Rodriguez , and is godmother to Rodriguezs children.
Salmas paternal grandparents, Elias Hayek Labahi and Adela Dominguez, were both of Lebanese descent (Adelas familys surname was originally "Hid"). Salmas mothers family is of Mexican/Spanish descent. Salma is fluent in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
Was considered for the part of Alicia Larde in A Beautiful Mind . In real life, Alicia was from El Salvador. The character in the film was later changed to American-born, and given to Jennifer Connelly.
Salma is an Arabic name that means "peace" or "calm".
She was sent to a boarding school in Louisiana at age 12, but was soon sent back home after getting in trouble for frequently terrorizing the nuns!
Studied international relations & drama at college in Mexico City.
Won Best Newcomer at the 1989 Novela Awards for "Un nuevo amanecer" .
Has her own production company, Ventanarosa.
Is the second Latin American actress to be nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award, for her performance in Frida . Brazilian veteran Fernanda Montenegro was the first, for Central do Brasil .
Her brother, Sami, designs custom chairs. His celebrity clients include Jennifer Aniston and her ex-husband, Brad Pitt.
Was named one of the ten most stylish women in the world by Mr. Blackwell in 1997. InStyle named her the most stylish celebrity of 2003 and Eonline.com ranked her as the best dressed female celebrity.
Ranked #31 in Stuff magazines "102 Sexiest Women in the World".
Good friend of Penlope Cruz , Ashley Judd and Valeria Golino.
E! entertainment voted her look at the 1997 Academy Awards one of the 5 most memorable in Oscar history. At the event she wore a beaded Armani gown complemented by a 1920s diamond tiara.
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005
Her parents are Sami Hayek Dominguez (oil company executive) and Diana Jimnez Medina (opera singer).
Played a (mythological creature disguised as a) stripper twice: in From Dusk Till Dawn and in Dogma (A Vampire and a Muse respectively).
Visited Guatemala from 2 May 2005 to 5 May 2005 as ambassador to Youth/AIDS, to promote the prevention of the mortal disease. Ashley Judd and Colombian pop singer Juanes also came with her.
Named #34 on Maxim magazines Hot 100 in 2005, then #90 in 2007. She was also ranked #12 in FHM magazines "100 Sexiest Women in the World" in the 2005 special supplement , and then #36 the following year.
As the announcer for the Oscars 2007, she was able to announce best friend Penlope Cruz nominations for Best Actress for Volver (2006/I) .
Announced engagement on March 9, 2007 to Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of the luxury goods company PPR SA. On Sept. 21, she and Pinault gave birth to their first child, daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault. Pinault has a son Francois and a daughter Mathilde from his first marriage to Dorothe Lepre, and a son, Augustin James (born 2006) from his relationship to Linda Evangelista.
Recently diagnosed with diabetes while pregnant (July 2007).
They called off their engagement in July 2008, but then after months of speculation about whether they were still a couple, Salma and Pinault married in a secret ceremony on Valentines Day 2009 in the city hall of the Second Arrondissement in Paris.
Her spokeswoman is Jillian Roscoe.
She and Francois Henri Pinault renewed their vows at Venices Teatro La Fenice opera house in late April 2009 with 150 guests present. Among them were Penlope Cruz , Javier Bardem , Charlize Theron , Stuart Townsend, Woody Harrelson , Hayeks ex-boyfriend Edward Norton , French president Jacques Chirac , Lucy Liu , Ashley Judd , Antonio Banderas , Anna Wintour , Gael Garca Bernal , Diego Luna , Bono and Stella McCartney.
In 2009, musician Prince included a song on his CD "Lotus Flow3r/MPLSound" that is about Salma Hayek. The song shares the same name as her daughter, Valentina.
Returned to work 5 months after giving birth to her daughter Valentina in order to begin filming Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant .
Was in attendance at the wedding of Reese Witherspoon to Jim Toth (26 March 2011).
(September 2007) Welcomed her first child, daughter Valentina Paloma.
Donated $25,000 to a shelter in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, for battered women.[Feb 2006].
I keep waiting to meet a man who has more balls than I do.
I have never denied my background or my culture. I have taught my child to embrace her Mexican heritage, to love my first language, Spanish, to learn about Mexican history, music, folk art, food, and even the Mexican candy I grew up with.
I work hard, I make my own living and I love it. I like having financial independence.
My grandmother was energetic and fearless - a talented poet and songwriter. She was also interested in chemistry and history and medicine, taking care of the people in her hacienda in Mexico, delivering babies. She could have become anything, but this was the 1930s, and she was forced into an arranged marriage.
For my wrap present, Colin Farrell gave me a first edition book. I got so involved with this character and I was so sad when the movie was over that when I got home and I tried to read the book I got really emotional and I started crying.
My new movie, Fools Rush In, is a romantic comedy and the girl I play in that is very warm, very sweet. .
